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Published: 23 March 2017

Studying the passage in Acts 4 this week has been refreshing.  There have been times in the past when reading about prayer just made me feel guilty for not praying more.  I am thankful that it is different now; not that I am so much better at praying but rather, I appreciate the insights that help my communication with Father.   Warren Weirsbe had some great things to say about prayer, here’s one quote, “True prayer is about getting God’s will done on earth not about getting man’s will done in Heaven.”  I do believe our good, good Father hears our requests and blesses us in many ways that are pleasing to us, but prayer is not only about getting what we want.  A significant reason for prayer is finding out what God wants so we can join Him.   We see this in Acts and throughout church history.  When people studied the Word, sought understanding and truly had the motive of God’s glory in mind, they prayed well and joined God in His mission.   With all my heart I want this for our church.  I want God to be glorified by whatever means He chooses.  If an expansion is part of that, let’s do it!  If an expansion is not part of that, then let’s not do it.  How can we best glorify Him?  By becoming like Him for sure!  And being like Jesus is being obedient to Father whether that is convenient and comfortable or not.  We are in this process of discovery together and I have confidence that the Lord will lead us as His children.  The process may seem slow but this is an opportunity for transformation and truly, both the journey AND the destination matter.  I’m glad to be on this journey with you and I pray we will learn what He has for us and really mean it when we pray, “…Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Amen!

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Published: 17 March 2017

I think God must be embarrassed (to use an anthropomorphism), at some of the things His name gets dragged into throughout the week.  People make attempts to justify all manner of behaviors and when they are struggling to make their position authoritative, they bring God into the conversation.  I sometimes see bumper stickers that have God right in there with guns, guts, glory etc.  It’s a very American thing because somewhere along the way a nucleotide has been added to our national DNA causing us to believe that we are God’s country and God’s people and God’s favorites.  I think some people believe God is a Republican with a gun cabinet, an American flag in His pick-up truck window and that He cheers for the Crimson Tide!  Friends, we are not a Christian nation and we never have been.  Nations can’t be Christians, only people can be Christians.  We are not a Moral Majority, as Russell Moore said so well, we are a prophetic minority.  The Great Commission is not about “reclaiming our country for God.”  It is about proclaiming the good news that Jesus Christ has come to give us life through His death, burial and resurrection.  And, even if “they” take away our guns we’ll still have the same power the apostles had to be obedient servants in His mission.  I love this country and as most of you know I enjoy guns, sport-shooting and the red, white and blue.  However, as a follower of Jesus, obedience to God is always more important than my so-called rights.  Let’s be careful to keep all things in their proper place…we’ll see why this matters from Acts 4 on Sunday.